Vagal activity predicts eyeblink conditioning in human subjects

Neuroreport
W TappD A Powell

Abstract

A group of old (mean age 73 years) and young (mean age 19.8 years) human subjects received concomitant eyeblink and heart rate classical conditioning, in which a 1000 Hz tone was the conditioning stimulus and a corneal airpuff was the unconditioned stimulus. Fewer old than young subjects showed eyeblink conditioning and age greatly attenuated the magnitude of the brady-cardiac conditioned heart rate response. The heart rate conditioned response was also significantly smaller in the subjects who failed to show eyeblink conditioning regardless of age, suggesting a relationship between parasympathetic cardiac control and somatomotor learning. The power associated with the respiratory peak in the heart rate spectrum, which is vagal in origin, was also smaller in subjects that failed to show eyeblink conditioning, again suggesting a relationship between parasympathetic cardiac activity and motor learning.

References

Jan 1, 1976·Experimental Aging Research·F L WilkieJ B Nowlin
Jan 1, 1991·Neuropsychologia·R F Thompson
Aug 1, 1995·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·C G Logan, S T Grafton
Mar 1, 1993·Journal of Gerontology·R E De Meersman

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Citations

Apr 9, 2004·Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science : the Official Journal of the Pavlovian Society·Richard J Servatius, Kevin D Beck
Apr 9, 2004·Integrative Physiological and Behavioral Science : the Official Journal of the Pavlovian Society·Edwin D AyersD A Powell
Dec 14, 1999·Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews·D A Powell
Feb 19, 2002·Journal of Neuroscience Methods·Edwin D Ayers, D A Powell
Oct 23, 1998·Experimental Aging Research·M A Flaten, D A Powell
Feb 21, 2006·Aging Clinical and Experimental Research·Magne Arve Flaten, Oddgeir Friborg

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